In the news today, Dec. 7

The Canadian Press

Updated: December 7, 2018

A profile of Huawei's chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou is displayed on a Huawei computer at a Huawei store in Beijing, China, Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018. Canadian authorities said Wednesday that they have arrested Meng for possible extradition to the United States. Ng Han Guan / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A Chinese telecommunications executive who was arrested after an extradition request from the United States is scheduled to appear in a Vancouver court for a bail hearing today. Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies, was arrested Saturday while in transit at Vancouver’s airport. The company says she faces extradition to the United States on unspecified charges. Chinese officials have expressed concern about the arrest, with the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa calling it as a serious violation of human rights, while Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang has said Canadian officials should reveal their reasoning for the arrest.

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TRUDEAU CALLS FOR COLLABORATION AT FIRST MINISTERS’ MEETING

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling for collaboration as he prepares to sit down to what could be the most contentious first ministers’ meeting he has faced since taking power. Trudeau says he and his provincial and territorial counterparts need to work together to create jobs and opportunities. But the meeting today in Montreal could be over before it begins. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has threatened to walk away if the meeting does not include specific discussions on the federal carbon tax.

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DESMOND INQUIRY TO BEGIN EARLY NEXT YEAR

The long-awaited public inquiry into the death of an Afghan war veteran who killed his family and himself in rural Nova Scotia is expected to begin early next year. When provincial court Judge Warren Zimmer was appointed to lead the inquiry in July, it was expected hearings would start later in the year. But Jennifer Stairs, a spokeswoman for the judiciary, now says renovations to a satellite courtroom in Guysborough, N.S., are expected to be completed by the end of this month. Lionel Desmond, who was diagnosed with PTSD after serving two tours in Afghanistan, fatally shot himself, his mother, wife and 10-year-old daughter in their home in Upper Big Tracadie in 2017.

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CARBON MONOXIDE POISONINGS PROMPT WARNING ABOUT DETECTORS

A senior paramedic in British Columbia is encouraging homeowners to buy carbon monoxide detectors and inspect their appliances following a spike in poisonings. Leon Baranowski, paramedic practice leader with B.C. Emergency Health Services, says the colourless and odourless gas can be emitted from fuels including wood, gasoline, coal and propane when they don’t burn completely. A family of five from Barriere, B.C., was airlifted to hospital Thursday in serious but stable condition, and on Wednesday, 13 people went to hospital due to carbon monoxide poisoning at an office building in Vancouver.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS:

— The Department of Justice Canada will hold a technical briefing on the directive regarding prosecutions of HIV non-disclosure cases, which will be issued by the attorney general.

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